The New York premiere of a film about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been canceled following threats by a shadowy hacker group.

The so-called Guardians of Peace on Tuesday released a statement promising a “bitter fate” to those who see “The Interview,” which is set to be released nationwide on Christmas Day.

In broken English, the brief statement invoked the September 11, 2001 attacks against the U.S. and warned potential movie-goers to “keep yourself distant” from theaters that show the film.

It also included another round of leaked e-mails that appear to be from Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it is analyzing the message, but insisted “there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters.”

Sony Pictures says it will release the film as planned, but that it will not object if theaters decide to cancel screenings. At least one U.S. theater chain, Carmike Cinemas, has already done so.

Late Tuesday night, Landmark Cinemas, another major U.S. movie theater chain, announced it was canceling Thursday’s premiere of “The Interview” at its New York City location.

Actors cancel appearances

The film’s main actors, Seth Rogen and James Franco, on Tuesday canceled their public appearances.

In the film, Rogen and Franco play the part of frustrated television journalists who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader.

North Korea has strongly denounced the comedy as an act of terrorism and called for Sony to cancel the film. It has praised the hacking as a “righteous deed,” but has said it is not involved.

It is not clear whether the Guardians of Peace, or GOP, is linked to Pyongyang, which is known to have a very capable group of Internet hackers at its disposal. Some suspect the hackers may have been aided by an insider at Sony.

Since the initial hacking attempt surfaced in late November, the group has released several rounds of sensitive, internal Sony e-mails that include everything from financial figures to squabbles between company executives and Hollywood actors. The leaks also include private employee data and high-quality copies of yet to be released films.

Current and former Sony employees have started two class-action lawsuits against Sony over the leaks, claiming the company did not adequately protect its computer systems or warn its employees of the leaks.
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